About Me

This blog is my blissful journal of happiness. It’s about everything I adore and people I love. Thanks for stopping by. If you would like to write me, please feel free to email me: diana.mieczan@hotmail.comHave a jolly good day!

Lovelies, cheers to the last weekend in May! Can you believe it? Crazy! What are you up to this weekend? Tomorrow we are meeting friends and going for a street food festival, but tonight it's all about The Mentalist and biscotti for me. I've just started to watch it and even though I'm only on the first season, I can't get enough of it. Are you watching it too? Have a relaxing next two days and I will see you Monday morning. But in the meantime, here is a bunch of cool links for your weekend blog-hopping-fun! xo

Lovelies, does your skin get red-ish and shiny far too often, especially during the warmer months? Here is a homemade egg
and lemon juice mask that can help clear your skin in a matter of a few
weeks. My friend Lola, swears by it! Supposedly, egg whites tighten the pores
and contain proteins that both repair skin and absorb excess oil, while lemon juice exfoliates, heals, nourishes and
refreshes your completion. Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?

If you fancy trying
it, here is the full how to: Separate the egg white from the yolk. Whisk together the egg
white with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and apply it to your clean,
dry face. Keep the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes. Once the mask
starts cracking, wash away with warm water. Ta dah!

Lovelies, do you like mint iced tea? Ever since I have a
mint plant growing by my kitchen window, I’ve been hooked on making my own tea.
It’s one of the most fuss free plants to care for as long as you water it every
two days and give it a bit of sunlight. It’s amazingly cooling on summer days
and instantly refreshing with every new sip.
Best part? There is so much more than meets the eye. We all know that mint refreshes your breath but it also regulates your digestion, makes your brain work better, helps with nausea and headaches and its smell makes for the perfect relaxant. Who knew, right?

So if you fancy a little pause, make a whole pitcher and get sipping with your friends this weekend! Cheers:) Mint Iced Tea(Makes 4 servings)Ingredients:- a handful of fresh (and washed) mint leaves- 4 cups of boiled water- juice of one lemon- sugar or honey (optional)Place your mint leaves in a teapot and pour over the hot water. Let it brew for 10-15 minutes before pouring your mint tea into a jug while discarding the mint leaves. Add the lemon juice and the honey. Mix well and let it cool off before placing it in the fridge for a few hours so it gets cold. Serve with sassy mint leaf ice cubes or lemon wedges. Ta dah!

Last night
we popped over to friends for dinner and I discovered my new favourite
dessert. Yup, after homemade fish tacos, Lola treated us to mango slices sprinkled with lime
juice and a dash of salt. One of the simplest and prettiest dishes ever but super
refreshing and summer perfect! Somehow the salt brings out the mango sweetness,
while the lime refreshes it. Have you ever tried it? What’s your favourite summer
dessert?

Will you be wearing denim shorts this
summer? Seems that they never go out of style, do they? I’m pretty partial since I adore them and when
paired with breezy button-downs, they make the perfect uniform for weekend barbecues or
evening bike rides. Easy, comfy and summer ready! Thumbs up or down? xo

Ever since I read Alex’s 30 days paleo challenge, I
once again realized that what we eat makes for who we are. Here is my logic: if you
nourish your body with good, fresh food that agrees with you, you are
contributing to your overall wellbeing and happiness. I’m the first one to
admit that drastic diets scare me, but looking at people around me, I’m realizing
that no matter what diet or health plan you’re on, the most important is how it
makes you feel on the long run.
For example, as soon as Alex started her paleo
journey, she noticed huge changes to her energy level, her skin got beautifully
glowy, and she felt strong and happy. After her challenge came to a finish, she
decided to keep the aspects of the diet she felt were helping her leading a
better life, while added the things she missed - like chocolate or brown rice.
Others
swear by cutting down on dairy or going all gluten free. I know things like
that work for some since my best friend, after years of struggling with bloating and bad skin,
finally feels healthy and is full of energy after she stopped eating gluten altogether.
Balazs and I experimented with vegetarianism, cutting out sugar or dairy, but we
came to a conclusion that the best way for us is to eat as fresh and cleanas possible
without depriving ourselves.

To our surprise, our bodies
chose our diet on their own. It’s still a learning process every single week, but it's amazing to see how our body tells us when we shouldn't eat something.
For example, the other day I bought a box of those yummy coffee shop donuts out of an impulse craving and I spent
the whole night regretting it. Solution: I will surely pass on them next time around! On the other hand, each time we have a smoothie in the morning instead
of coffee, we feel energized for much longer.

This made me realize that we truly are what we
eat. Do tell me about your diet! What do
you eat, how do you prepare meals? How often do you eat out? I’d love to hear your tips on happy, healthy
diets that work for you. xo

What's in your kitchen sink right now? Morgan West has this awesome kitchen sink series in which she gives glimpses into a space many of us normally overlook. I love how surprisingly intimate those photos feel - almost cheeky in a way, like getting a look into something private! Her series is full of awesome sinks including Food52 and Molly Yeh's.

What's in mine? There are two coffee cups, a cream-coloured ceramic bowl after my morning granola, a French press with a bit of leftover coffee and 2 lemon peels after our morning lemon water. Your turn...xo

After my recent post on going natural with my beauty ritual, many of you asked for tips and tricks on all-natural beauty routines for different skin-types. So today, we are starting a brand new series dedicated to inspiring ladies who already made the swap and can't get enough of the amazing results.
First up is Monica from hola! design. She recently moved from NYC to Miami Beach. She works as a web designer who also has a talent for snapping gorgeous photos :) She is super lovely and just looking at her pictures makes me want to jump on a plane to Florida!

Here is Monica's natural beauty routine:

Finding a beauty routine
that suits you takes a lot of trial and error. After trying countless of products
(and spending a lot of money) I’ve finally found what works best for my
sensitive and acne prone skin. Today, I’m happy to
share with you my easy-but-effective skin care routine. The best part? It’s all
natural and super affordable! Step 1. Cleansing with Hemp Seed Oil

After
years of skepticism, I’ve finally jumped on the oil cleansing wagon. I use organic cold pressed hemp seed oil because it has a comedogenic level of 0, meaning it
won’t clog your pores. In fact, hemp seed oil will reduce the size of the pores
and eliminate blackheads and pimples. And, since it’s a green color, it reduces
skin redness.

How to:
Apply oil to your face and rub as regular cleanser.
Wet a cotton cloth or square cotton pad with warm water and remove make up (if
you wear a lot of makeup you may have to repeat this step). Rinse with lukewarm water and pat skin with towel
to remove any excess oil. If your skin feels dry,
you can also use hemp seed oil as a moisturizer. Step 2. Toning with Green Tea and Apple Cider
Vinegar

Green tea has a lot of anti-aging
antioxidants and helps repairs the skin, while apple cider vinegar kills
bacteria, unclogs pores and balances skin’s PH, among other benefits. The two
together create a miracle toner that leaves the skin soft and brighter.

How to:
Simply brew green tea and once it’s cooled add
organic apple cider vinegar* (1 part apple cider vinegar, 2 parts green tea). Pour in a small bottle and keep it in the fridge
for up to 2 weeks. Apply to clean skin with
a cotton pad.

Rice flour helps prevent
sun damage and wrinkles; Asian women have been using it for centuries! Honey is
very nourishing and soothing on the skin, leaving it smooth and hydrated. Also,
it’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory so it works wonders on acne prone skin.
These two ingredients, combined, make an amazing face mask.

How to:
Put 2
tablespoons of rice flour in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of honey. Mix until
incorporated. You can add lemon juice, green tea, water, more honey or milk to
make it smoother if it’s too thick. Apply
to face in soft motions to exfoliate gently and leave it for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water.

And that’s it! That’s my
beauty routine. I've been following this regime for almost 3 months and the
results have been wonderful. I encourage you to make your own beauty products
and let your own natural beauty shine!

Yippee, this past weekend felt like the beginning of summer, didn't it? The temperature was well into the 80s, blue skies and the little breeze by the evenings came in super handy as well. The best part is that today should be equally amazing with a little shower here and there! So if you feel like cooling down, try freezing your favourite yogurt cups and have them as popsicles after work! We have been doing just that with Activia yogurts all weekend long - so healthy, totally delicious and super refreshing! xo
P.S: Lolly!
P.P.S: Don't forget to follow me on Instagram:)

Cheers to a long (and sunny) weekend! What are you up to? If everything goes well, tonight I should be eating stinky cheese and sipping wine and listening to live music. Besides that we have no big plans, just relaxing and Instagraming. It's my 3rd day of it today and I'm already pretty hooked and overwhelmed but in a good way. Thanks for following! Darlings, have a relaxing, beautiful and yummy three days and I will see you back here on Tuesday morning but in the meantime, here is a bunch of awesome links for you to check out. Have fun!